memeorandum: Candidates didn't read Iraq report (Ben Smith/The Politico)

11:20 PM ET, May 25, 2007

Top Items:

Jonathan Martin / The Politico:

McCain responds and then some — McCain responds to Obama in tough enough, if predictable, language: — "While Senator Obama's two years in the U.S. Senate certainly entitle him to vote against funding our troops, my service and experience combined with conversations with military leaders …

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Chicago Tribune, TIME: Swampland, Power Line, The Blue State and politburo diktat 2.0

Andy McCarthy / National Review:

Sen. McCain, Keep Giving 'Em Flak ... er, Flack — Good for Senator McCain on his sharp rebuttal to Senator Obama. May I add one point, though, that continues to make me nuts? — Senator Obama says: " It is time to end this war so that we can redeploy our forces to focus on the terrorists …

Greg Sargent / Election Central:

Obama Rips Romney And McCain, Scorns McCain's Baghdad Stroll — The back and forth between Dem and GOP Presidential candidates is heating up big time over Iraq. — Barack Obama has just unleashed the following statement hammering John McCain and Mitt Romney for criticizing Obama's vote …

Discussion: Angry Bear

Allahpundit / Hot Air:
Iraq slapfight: McCain plays the chickenhawk card on Obama, sort of

Discussion: Central Sanity

ABCNEWS:

O'Donnell Will Not Be Back on 'The View' — ABC Announces Early Departure for Host — The saga is over. — Rosie O'Donnell will not be returning to "The View." — In a statement today, Brian Frons, the president of Disney-ABC's Daytime Television Group, said, "We had hoped that Rosie …

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Fox News, Althouse, The Moderate Voice, Scared Monkeys, NewsBusters.org, Right Wing News, The Populist and GINA COBB

Associated Press:

Rosie O'Donnell won't return to 'The View' — Announcement comes two days after heated on-air fight with co-host — Elisabeth Hasselbeck, left, Rosie O'Donnell sparred frequently on "The View," though they profess to be good friends off camera. — MSNBC video — Rosie quits 'The View' early

Discussion: The Huffington Post and Democratic Underground …

New York Post:

SHE'S DEFACE OF ROSIE REVENGE — ROSIE O'Donnell left "The View" with a bang, not a whimper, following her on-air smackdown with co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck on Wednesday. — Yesterday, Rosie's chief writer, Janette Barber, was allegedly escorted from the building after she was caught drawing moustaches …

Discussion: Associated Press, r blog, Hot Air, Sister Toldjah, Gateway Pundit, NewsBusters.org and The News Buckit

Los Angeles Times:

Sadr reemerges, demands U.S. pullout from Iraq — KUFA, Iraq — Influential cleric Muqtada Sadr resurfaced today after months in hiding and delivered a fiery sermon in this Shiite Muslim holy city in which he reiterated his demand for the swift departure of U.S. forces.

Discussion: Informed Comment and Balloon Juice

John F. Burns / New York Times:
Shiite Cleric Resurfaces With Anti-U.S. Sermon

Discussion: The Newshoggers and The Moderate Voice

Guardian:
Iraqi cleric makes public return

Discussion: The Fourth Rail, Washington Post, Informed Comment and Gateway Pundit

Walter Pincus / Washington Post:

Pre-War Intelligence Report on Iraq Released — Report Forecast Militant Violence, Saw Establishing Democracy as Difficult — The U.S. intelligence community accurately predicted months before the Iraq war that al-Qaeda would link up with elements from former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's regime …

Discussion: Captain's Quarters, The Heretik, Left I on the News and MSNBC

Byron York / National Review:

Fact-Checking Valerie Plame Wilson, Pt. 1 — The Senate Intelligence Committee has just released a new report as part of its continuing investigation into prewar intelligence. In the report, the committee's vice chairman, Republican Sen. Christopher Bond, has included a set of "additional views" …

Discussion: Gateway Pundit, JustOneMinute and Macsmind

E. J. Dionne Jr / Washington Post:

See You in September — "Let's grow up, conservatives!" — Barry M. Goldwater's declaration at the 1960 Republican National Convention was designed to quell a rebellion against Richard M. Nixon, whom conservatives saw as selling out to liberals on various platform planks.

Discussion: Taylor Marsh, The Reaction, Liberty Street, TalkLeft, The Mahablog, Michael P.F. van der Galiën, The Democratic Daily and Sirotablog

Jonathan Alter / Newsweek:
The Democrats' Iraq Infighting

Discussion: The Reaction, Dick Polman's American Debate, Liberty Street and New York Times

Real Cities:

Fewer candidates apply for positions as U.S. attorneys — WASHINGTON - The Bush administration's decision to fire nine U.S. attorneys last year has created a new problem for the White House: The controversy appears to be discouraging applications for some of the 22 prosecutor posts that President Bush needs to fill.

Discussion: Cliff Schecter and The Blue State

Christy Hardin Smith / Firedoglake:

Libby On The Verge Of Sentencing — There has been a lot of grist from the Beltway rumor mill of late on Scooter Libby and his upcoming sentencing hearing — but it has amounted to a whole lot of speculation and innuendo and wishful thinking, and not much substance with any real factual basis in which to dig.

Discussion: TalkLeft, UPI, New York Sun and Crooks and Liars

Associated Press:

North Carolina Judge: Court Witnesses Can Take Oath With Koran — RALEIGH, N.C. — A Wake County judge ruled Thursday that any religious text can be used to swear in a witness or juror in the state's courtrooms, not just the Bible. — The American Civil Liberties Union argued a law …

Discussion: protein wisdom, Hot Air and Iowa Voice

Darla Miles / WFAA-TV:

FW students protest TAKS decision — FORT WORTH — Students who had been planning to walk across the stage at graduation ceremonies this weekend were instead walking a picket line Thursday morning. — The Trimble Tech High School seniors marched in front of Fort Worth Independent School …

Discussion: Captain's Quarters and Joanne Jacobs

Kevin Drum / Washington Monthly:

THE END OF THE DREAM....Everyone knows that income inequality has been widening dramatically in the past three decades, as the rich get (lots) richer and the working class mostly stagnates. But hey — this is America! At least we still have lots of social mobility, right?

Discussion: Angry Bear and The Atlantic Online